The Made by Google event was very, very different this year. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon, the launch was more like an hour-long segment of The Tonight Show — his regular hosting gig — than any tech launch we’ve seen before. This was by design. Google wanted the launch of the Pixel 10 series to be for everyone, not just tech nerds. In that respect, it was a resounding success, with the stream currently sitting at 6.6 million views, as of me writing this sentence.
However successful it might have been, there’s no denying that Google neglected to talk about the nitty-gritty details of the phones. Don’t worry, though, because we’re here to fill you in on some of the most important gaps. Without further ado, let’s dive into the seven things about the Pixel 10 phones you didn’t hear about at Made by Google!
Three of the US models lack SIM card trays
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
In the image above, you’ll see a Pixel 10 Pro with a SIM card slot at the top. The SIM card slot being here is, in itself, newsworthy, since it was on the bottom of the Pixel 9 series phones. However, the phone above is a French model. If you look at the top of a Pixel 10 Pro here in the US, you won’t find any SIM card tray slot at all.
If you live in the US and don't want a foldable, the Pixel 10 phone you get won't have a physical SIM tray.
This is because Google made the three slab phones — the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL — eSIM only devices in the United States. For some reason, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold still has a physical SIM card slot globally.
I know that this will upset a lot of US buyers. Hardcore tech nerds usually own multiple phones, and love the ease of moving a SIM card from one device to another. This just isn’t as easy to do with eSIM. However, tech nerds are a minority, and 99% of Americans put a physical SIM card in their phone and then literally never touch it again, so they will be fine. That’s the audience Google is going after here, so it makes sense.
The speakers have been improved on all slab phones
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
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